In a different life
by Paul is all mine ladies
Summary: Sansa escaped from King's Landing instead of Arya. What kind of spin does this put on things? What will Arya do becoming betrothed to Joffery, being stuck in insufferable King's Landing and now without needle? Follow Sansa as she tries to get back home safely, will she or won't she... after all she isn't as wild as Arya. Adopted from DarkAnubis27.
1. On the Steps on Baelor

**_Firstly to everyone reading this I would like to give a great big, huge shout-out to _** DarkAnubis27_ **who wrote this first chapter but then put it up for adoption due to losing inspiration and then picked me for the honor to continue writing it. I only hope to live up to the high standards they set so yeah... lots of feed back and love will help me out to keep this fanfic at this high standard. I also don't own A song of Ice and Fire so yeah... consider yourself warned!**_

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_King's Landing, 299 AD, 4 Days before_

* * *

Sansa had heard the sounds of conflict from her chambers, high in the Red Keep. She ran downstairs, thoughts echoing around her head endlessly. Jeyne Poole trailed behind her, still nagging at her about how they would be safer in their chambers.

_I need to find Father, and Arya too._

She was about to pass around a corner to the West Hall when she heard footsteps. She turned slowly to see a gold cloak walking briskly towards her and Jeyne.

"Lady Sansa, I will escort you back to your chambers."

He made to grab her arm, but Sansa pulled back, gazing at him suspiciously.

"Where is my father? I command you to take me to him."

The gold cloak narrowed his eyes and grabbed her arm and her it in an iron grip.

"Stop!", she tugged, trying to pull herself from his grip. "Let go of me! I am a **_Lady._**"

He raised his other fist, as though to strike her.

He never got the chance.

Blood bubbled from his mouth, and it was then that Sansa saw the arrow protruding from his throat.

Behind her, Jeyne screamed.

Sansa pulled herself from the dying man in horror, and whirled around. Panic seized her when she saw him there, until she saw the grey direwolf embroidered on the breast of his surcoat. He was one of her father's men.

"You must run my lady, they have seized your father, go to the stables, and get out!" He yelled.

Sansa stared at him, her mind working slowly, sluggishly, still not fully understanding the situation. Jeyne grabbed her forearm and pulled her along, sobbing as she ran. Sansa felt a cold fist close around her heart as she saw the first body, but when she again turned her eyes to the end of the hall she sat it was littered with bodies, Stark and Lannister both. They tore towards the stables. They encountered no-one as they ran, twisting and turning through the corridors.

_Are we even running towards the stables? We could be running right to the Throne Room for all I know._

But somehow they emerged from that nightmare of passages into the courtyard. They passed beneath and overpass, and found themselves at the stables.

Sansa saw Arya kneeling on the tome, a slim sword in her hand, she seemed to be in shock. It was only as she got closer that she saw the boy. She froze on the spot, stomach in full rebellion against her. Her sister was beside him, the edge of her sword stained with blood. Arya turned to look at her.

"I… I di… didn't m… mean to."

"It doesn't matter now." Sansa voiced as Arya pulled herself to her feed. The sound of approaching footsteps snapped Arya out of her shock.

"Sansa, run, take a horse and leave, you need to get out."

"But…"

"Not buts! You need to go, or the gold-cloaks will capture you!"

Sansa looked at her sister helplessly.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine." Arya gave her sister a sad smile.

"I… I can't."

"Sansa." Arya's expression was deadly serious this time, all memory of the smile gone from her face, "Take the _fucking _horse."

Sansa stared at her sister, shocked. Arya was wild, as any decent northerner was, but she **_never _**cursed. She saw for the first time how serious this was.

She grabbed the reins of the nearest horse, and clambered onto its back, not side-saddle like she'd been riding for years, but with her legs split. It felt strange, but she shrugged the feeling off.

She looked back at her sister one more time as she spurred her horse from the stables.

* * *

Arya closed her eyes as Sansa rode away. She didn't even bother fighting the gold cloaks when they seized her and Jeyne. They dragged them to the throne room, along with several others they had taken prisoner.

_At least she's safe._

Relief flooded through when she heard that the gold cloaks had been unsuccessful in locating Sansa.

The next few days were awful. The queen had Arya bathed and dressed in a gown, as befits a lady. She spent most of her time in her chambers, not allowed to speak to anyone. She harassed her servant when they refused to speak to her, shouting and begging. On one occasion she fell at the feet of her handmaid, clutching her leg, screaming at her to tell her of her father.

3 days she spent in her tower, until some of her questions were answered.

* * *

_King's Landing, 299 Ad, 1 Day Before_

* * *

There was a knock at the door.

Arya stood and went to answer it, expecting another mute servant, only to be greeted by the Queen.

"The King requests your attendance in the Throne Room." The Queen said, eyeing her rumpled, dishevelled appearance.

"I will make myself presentable before going before the King, if it pleases Your Grace."

"It would." Cersei waved some handmaids into the room, where they began to draw a bath for her.

Arya was dressed in a gown of grey myrish lace and silver samite. The gown was edged in black, and it's silk under-layers were of grey silk. It was as though they were trying to make her lineage more pronounced by her blothing, which it did, infuriatingly, work rather well. Arya's hair was coiled into an alaborate bun on the top of her head, a string of opals were placed at her throat.

"Why am I dressed so extravagantly, Your Grace?"

"Because, stupid child," Cersei hissed, "You need to look absolutely stunning, otherwise Joff will never agree to this."

"Agree to what? Arya asked. Cersei didn't answer. As soon as she was dressed and ready, she was escorted from her room to the Throne Room.

Arya had never previously noticed how far her chambers were from the Throne Room. It might have been ten minutes or more until they entered the Throne Room.

Joffery sat atop the Iron Throne, picking at the handles in boredom. He did a double take when he saw her, as did many of the nobles in attendance.

_No doubt they would, they had beard that Eddard Stark's youngest daughter was wild as an animal._

Joffery stood, and addressed the hall.

"I am here today to hear the troubles of the counsel, and any proposals you may have for me."

There were many and more come to see the new king. Men and women, nobles and commons alike came before Joffery to ask for things, and propose this or that. There were commoners coming to talk about stolen pigs, broken pipes and insurance for their houses, and nobles come to ask of Eddard Stark. Arya listened to the latter most carefully. But Joffery's answer was always the same.

"The crimes of Lord Stark will be answered on the morrow, as will his sentence."

Finally, though, all the commons had melted away, and it was Arya's turn, she knew what she had been brought here to do.

She was led before the King, and sank to her knees at the foot of the stairs.

"Your Grace, I understand the crimes committed by my traitor father are punishable by death, and I know that whatever judgement you carry out will be just and lawful. I ask only this, he is a traitor, my mother and brother also, but he is also my father, and I ask only mercy for him, if you would be as kind to reward such a man with this gift." Tears were gathering at the corners of her eyes, but she forced them back.

"Stand."

Arya pulled herself up off the ground.

"My lady, you have touched me with your words, I will gift what mercy I believe your father deserves."

"Thank you, Your Grace, I could ask for nothing more for a traitor."

Arya stepped back as Cersei stood to make an announcement.

"Your Grace, as you know, your betrothed, The Lady Sansa Stark, has disappeared, we have been unable to locate the girl, but my reports show that she might still be in the city. However, it is believed that the girl has perished."

"A shame," Joffery said "But who will take Sansa's place as my betrothed?"

"I will understand if you deny her, Your Grace, but I offer up the Lady Arya Stark, to take her sister's place."

Arya stared at the Queen. Gasps and whispers erupted all over the hall.

_No, no, no, I can't marry Joffery, he's horrible, he'll just abuse me and torture me, and anyway, he hates me._

Joffery looked at his mother a moment, considering it.

"Well mother, I must say, I originally thought the Lady Arya was nothing like her beautiful sister, but now what I see her garbed as befits a lady, I cannot deny that she shares the same beauty as her sister. Lady Arya, I will gladly wed you."

Arya forced a gracious smile, all the while thinking _no, no, no._

Cersei stood again. "Well Your Grace, it seems that all matters have been addressed. Council dismissed!"

The crowd dissipated, and Arya was waiting to return to her chambers, when she heard her new husband-to-be calling her.

"Lady Arya!"

Arya halted, and taking a deep breath to prepare herself, turned to face Joffery, smiling.

"Good Morning, Your Grace."

"So, it seems that you are to be my wife."

Arya smiled again. "It seems so, Your Grace."

"I had honestly taken you for a wild, until I saw you walk in this morning, you will be just as beautiful on our wedding day."

Arya just smiled and nodded again. _I can see right through him, but he thinks I am as dense as Sana. I will play his little game for now, say what he wants, please him, but if he thinks he can control me, he has another thing coming._

* * *

_King's Landing, 299 AD, The Day_

* * *

Arya stood atop the steps of Baelor, looking out at the gargantuan crowd that had gathered to watch the trial of Eddard Stark.

The crowd consisted of hundreds, perhaps even thousands, and every one of them was angry. She could see people from Dorne, from the North and the Reach, from Lys and Mry and Colantis, from the Crannog and the Iron Islands. People from every corner of the earth were here. Arya had always known that the cultural diversity of King's Landing was cast and impressive but only now did she appreciate its scale and complexity.

She heard a chorus of shouts and jeers, and turned her head, scanning the stairs until she saw him.

Father.

He was being led out in chains, his hair was dirty, his clothes bedraggled, but she felt only an unquenchable happiness to see him unharmed.

_He won't be that way for long._

Joffery had promised to have mercy on him, but Arya knew that his word was worth about as much as a cup of goat piss.

Her father was led up to stand at the top of the stairs. _Now he will confess the crimes he never committed._

"I, Eddard of House Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North, and Hand of the King, come before you on this day to confess my crimes in the sight of Gods and men. I promised to King Robert Baratheon to forever protect and council his children, but before his blood was cold, I plotted to kill them and steal their birth right."

A stone sailed from the crowd and hit him in the brow. He stumbled, but regained his footing, and continued his speech.

"Joffery Baratheon, First of his name, is the rightful King of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the realm, may he judge my crimes in the sight of the Gods."

Joffery smirked triumphantly.

"My mother has begged for you to be granted to take the black, so you may live out the remainder of our life serving the realm. My new bride to be, Arya Stark, has begged for mercy for her father. But they have the soft hearts of women, so long as I am your king, treason shall never go unpunished."

Fear climbed in Arya's throat, everyone's eyes were now on Joffery, waiting in anticipation.

"Ser Ilyn, bring me his head!"

The crowd exploded into noise.

"No!" Arya screamed. She struggled, pulling and screaming when she was seized by a guard.

Even the Queen was protesting.

"Stop this, Joffery, this is madness!"

But not eve his mother seemed to be able to sway him. And Arya could only watch in horror as Ilyn Payne drew a great long sword from a fur scabbard.

_Ice…_

Arya was pulling and struggling right up to the point Ser Ilyn swung the sword and cleaved right through her father's neck.

The darkness took her.


	2. Escaping King's Landing

_King's Landing, 299 AD, The Day After_

* * *

**_Sansa's_**_**Pov**_

Adrenalin, that's all that was driving her as she thundered through the city, she had taken so many wrong turns and little alley ways to escape the ever watching gold cloaks. Disorientated, that's all that came to mind when she thought about her state at the moment and maybe dishevelled… not to mention to be in dire need for a bath. She was sore from riding with her legs split, she was so close to just handing herself over to the gold cloaks to take her in. If she did she knew they would have a bath not to mention a feather bed waiting for her back at the Red keep… the only thing that kept her was turning herself over was the fact at what they _might _do… well most likely do to her on the way back to the keep, not to mention Arya driving her away. She felt hot tears escape her eyes, what was she even going to do when and _if _she got out of the city? She wasn't Arya, she didn't know about what to eat in the forest and the way the sun rose and set… she was alone and she didn't have the first notion to do about it. "_A rest," _she panted to herself "_One small rest and I will keep trying." _She paused in a walkway next to a shop of some description; around the corner she could hear shouts and laughter. She didn't give Arya enough credit for the amount of strength and stamina it took to ride a horse with your legs split and at a canter, not to mention concentration.

* * *

Yorren's Pov

Movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention, if you didn't see things quickly in flee bottom you died, or got robbed, not precisely in that order. I peered into the gloom, it was a girl, her cloak was pulled over her head but I could see red hair spilling from it. Now believe you me, I had seen and know a lot of girls and women in my lifetime but they were all just common women. Now, when you live a lowly life you lean things, things that rich folk don't pick up on because they have never had to. Her cloak, it wasn't rough material like the rest of us wore if we could afford a clock, not to mention it was coloured blue/grey, _and _it was reasonably clean. Nothing in flee bottom was clean, no matter how hard you tried _if _you could afford it not even soap would make it clean, not even yourself. So when I saw her face tilt up slightly as she panted, her pale skin catch the dank sunlight that filtered through the close walls… I wasn't surprised to find it Sansa Stark, princess of Winterfell. Mind you at the same time I _was _surprised to find her of all people wandering the streets… I wouldn't have thought she would have lasted five minutes in the real world. It had been word on the street, what had become of the eldest Stark girl; we had seen the young one, Arya, at the beheading yesterday but not Sansa. There had been rumors, whispers, that she had been killed, raped or just… disappeared before it all happened, back to Winterfell some said. Now I knew for sure that she was in face very much alive.

Stepping forwards towards the alley way I knew no one was watching me, probably thought I was just going to take a piss before we left. I entered it and saw her freeze and stiffen up, pretending to tend to her horse. I stalked closer to her and grabbed her by the mouth, pulling her back into me so she couldn't land any hard blows as she struggled.

"Stop it," I hissed peering out of the alley to see if anyone was watching "I am going to help get you back to Winterfell… I knew your father, Eddard Stark, he was a honorable man."

Her body went slack, from exhaustion or relief I couldn't tell.

"Now I am going to have to… change your appearance and you aren't going to like if very much… are you going to hit me?" I asked quietly, releasing her mouth slowly, making sure if she was going to scream I could shush her before anyone heard

"No." She whispered "But please don't touch my hair."

"Have to," I grunted "Don't have many clean ginger's in flee bottom."

"Don't," She hissed, eyes flashing angrily at me "I will do it."

I watched her wince as she squatted folding her skirts daintily, I snorted at that. She pushed a hand into the mud and drew out a handful of it. She stared at it for a long while before she finally wiped it in her hair, letting out a light sob as she did so. Repeating several times I watched as she made her hair brown but still remarkably made it look normal… like her hair was actually a mud brown colour. I still didn't like the paleness of her skin.

"… Better?" She asked weakly

"A little," I shrugged still looking around for something that wasn't dirt to make her skin darker "Skin's still too pale but it will have to do for now."

"What do we do now?" She asked, eyes glassy

"You keep the horse, unless you want to try riding a donkey or going in the cart with no space." I nodded to the horse, "First things first though, seeing if you will even make it out the gates."

She made a girlie 'eep' noise and I grabbed the horse, leading it out of the alley towards my cart with the boys milling around. They looked at me, to the horse, to Sansa, back to me before they went back to loading up and getting ready, I snorted, dumb shits.

"Who are you?" She asked quietly, eyes wide in fright I guess at being out in the open

"None of that now," I growled kicking a boy who was trying to bully a smaller one "Wait till we are out the gates."

"Come on you sorry sons of whores." I barked out, helping Sansa onto her horse "We got a long walk ahead of us to the wall…"

I spied an old dead fire as I was making the last of the preparations, I pretended to trip and threw my hands into the ashes and long since dead coals. I walked towards Sansa who looked incredibly uncomfortable and smeared the ash on her face, making her look like just another dirty brunette woman.

"Just keep yer trap shut and don't make eye contact unless you need to." I growled at her before I walked to my carts, slapped the horse once with the reins and headed towards the city gates

"HALT!" A guard barked at the gates, stepping onto the road, it was Braylin

I saw Sansa pull her horse up just so it was dancing in my peripheral vision, I stood offering a roll of paper to Braylin.

"Yorren," he nodded, eyes scanning over all my property "It says here only boys and men for the black, you have a women in your presence."

"Really?" I asked feigning shock "I don't even read them anymore because I get my orders from the Lord Commander."

"Well it says here only man and boys for the black," Braylin frowned, eyeing up Sansa "Who's this?"

"Kellen," I grunted "She's a whore, the men on the wall have been getting more and more… violent because of lack of a women attention. I was told to bring a whore back."

"Fair enough," Braylin snorted "Poor bastards."

"Dunno how long she will last," I grunted "Poor bitch will be fucked raw by the first night, give me a clean death any day."

"Mmm," Braylin nodded looking at Sansa with a hint of sadness "Off you go Yorren, be careful on the road people have become uneasy with the beheading of Lord Stark."

"Will do," I nodded getting back into the cart, "You have a goodnight, Braylin."

I sighed when we were out of the gates and down the road, we weren't safe, you never are completely safe but we weren't contained. I looked at Sansa, I watched her as she rode, I could see her wincing. She was saddle sore, she was a lady, she would be used to riding side saddle and only at a walk or trot. We walked for the better part of the day until we had to stop to make camp for the night.

"Now," I muttered helping Sansa off the horse "You sleep by me tonight if you don't want anything to happen, you hear me?"

She made a scared noise and nodded, handing the reins to me.

"I don't want to have to scare you," I said gruffly "But I do, some of these men are murderers, rapers and thieves. If you need to make water, don't go so far as I can't hear you. Now you stay here and don't get in the way, I won't be far."

She nodded, cradling her soft hands against her stomach where I could see blisters forming. I sighed, it was going to be a long journey for the Stark girl, that's even if she makes it long enough to be home in Winterfell…

* * *

**_Arya's Pov_**

I woke in a groggy state, feeling the bitter taste of my father's death on my tongue. In all the sweet songs Sansa sings it describes how the woman wakes as if in a dream and then realises minutes later that their lover or knight in shining armour was dead only to feel like they have lost them again for a second time. That had never happened with me, I don't know about others but when I woke it was just like a dead weight on my chest. I climbed from the bed and stared out the window, for the first time in my life I felt truly alone… father was dead, only the seven know what happened to Sansa and if she escaped Kings Landing, Jon was at the Wall, Mother, Rickon and Robb were home and Bran was a cripple. Syrio was killed by Ser Meryn Trant… Mycah was killed by the hound… for the first time in my life I was truly alone in the world of men, I looked at the height I was up in the Red Keep… I could throw myself and end my misery. I snorted, like hell, even if I die trying I am going to kill the bastard king Joffery, and his whore of a mother. It was early, the sun had hardly broken the horizon. I saw smoke billowing out of the chimney of the forge, a body floating down the river that ran into the distance, I saw ships coming into the harbour, I changed into my water dancing clothes and looked back at the window before pulling myself into a sitting position with my legs dangling over the edge.

I took a deep breath and let myself slip from the stone edge, my breath leaving me in a huge, fast 'WHOOSH' as I plummeted towards the ground…

* * *

_King's Landing, 299 AD, The first day out of King's landing_

* * *

**Sansa's Pov**

I didn't sleep a wink that night, the noises of the forest kept me awake but more than anything it was the fright of something happening to me when I was sleeping. My hair felt lank and… horrible, my skin itched from lack of washing, my clothes stank of dirt, horse and sweat not to mention how sore my whole body was from all the riding I had done in the last what… two days. Gods, it felt like weeks I had been on the run. I felt tears slip from my eyes and I let them, I knew they were putting clean tracks where the soot of the fire had been smeared but I didn't care. I peered around in the dark of the morning, it was still slightly hard to see but there was a handful of thin rays of light slipping through the canopy of trees. My bladder protested at not being drained in so long and I climbed to my feet quietly, as not to wake any of the sleeping men and boys surrounding me. I didn't go far but squatted behind a tree and made water, my whole body shaking with exhaustion and lack of sleep. I just straightened up and rearranged my skirts when I head crunching of leaves behind me. I peered around trying to see where the noises were coming from when off to my right I saw a figure pause, sigh, unlace his breeches and also begin to make water. I looked away and flushed a violent red I was sure under all the dirt and grime, I turned with my head down and began to walk away.

I heard him exclaim in shock at my noise and movement and quickly redo his ties on his breeches. I walked faster, afraid of what he wanted with me. I felt his rough hand grab my elbow and I stilled, shaking in fear.

"I'm sorry," He said gruffly, looking down "I didn't see you there."

I pursed my lips at not being called Milady but let it slide, if I was to reach Winterfell again I would have to put formalities aside. I turned on heel and walked away without another word, desperate to be by Yorren's side where I knew I would be protected if anything happened.

"Hey," he said softly, as not to wake the sleeping "I said I'm sorry."

"Your apology is duly noted." I whispered sharply before turning to walk away again

"You're not really a whore, are you?" He laughed

"What makes you say that?" I asked sharper than before

"For one, you haven't spoken a word to any other man but Yorren and two, your clothes are much too modest and fine for that of a whore." He chuckled "So who are you?"

I felt fear grip at me like a vice, I looked back at him and sized him up, if he had wanted to do… anything… to me he would have done it by now.

"Sansa Stark." I whispered my name almost sounding foreign on my own tongue

"Milady," he said shocked, dropping to his knees "I'm sorry… I didn't mean any offence."

"You didn't know any different," I muttered cautiously, looking around to see if anyone else was awake or heard what I said "Just keep to yourself and we won't have any problems."

"Of course, milady." He nodded, eyes still downcast "But may I ask to accompany you on your journey back to…"

"Winterfell." I offered knowing that he didn't really know much about places of the seven kingdoms

"Winterfell," he nodded "I'm sure that well before we reach Winterfell that some men will have… tried to force your hand."

I looked at him in shock, was this just a… tactic to get me alone and trusting him. "How do I know I can trust you?" I asked sharply, looking at him for any signs of deceit

"I can assure you that if I ever tried to harm you Yorren would geld me or kill me… I wouldn't want either to happen to me," He shrugged "It isn't a hard decision… especially when if I do accompany back to Winterfell they might have a forge in need of me. It wasn't my decision to take the black, milady."

"We shall see." I whispered walking away back to Yorren's side. Surprisingly I found sleep easier after that…

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**Okay, first update since I adopted this amazing story, sorry about the wait for all who have been keen to know where I would take this fanfic. Again, I don't own anything except my own ideas, so everything else belongs to George RR Martin. Please please update and show me the love and that I am doing the right thing by this fanfiction. Thanks, Paul is all mine ladies. OH and if you have any question, ask me in the review or by PM and I will either answer it in the next update or by PM.**


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